1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a patterning technique for semiconductor integrated circuits or the like, and more particularly to a new patterning method using both a template and a inkjet system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photolithography is a general method for manufacturing integrated circuits or the like on silicon substrates or glass substrates. To form patterns using photolithography, a thin coat of photosensitive material, called resist, is applied on a silicon wafer and then the integrated circuit pattern, prepared on a glass dry-template with photoengraving, is printed (transferred) with light. With the transferred resist pattern as a mask, the material beneath the resist is etched to form wiring patterns and elements. This photolithographic method requires processes such as resist application, exposure, and development, making it impossible to prepare fine patterns outside of a semiconductor plant or the like having facilities such as large scale equipment, power distribution facilities, and exhaust facilities. For this reason, other methods in a smaller scale for forming fine patterns have been researched.
For example, the method called MIMIC (micromolding in capillaries), for forming patterns using a mold, was disclosed in the Journal of the American Chemical Society 1996, No. 118, pp. 5722-5731. In this method, a template, whereon μm-order grooved structures are formed of polymer, is placed on the substrate and liquid is caused by capillarity to infiltrate from the grooved sides. The template is made of polydimethylsiloxane and the liquid is a polymer, solution of polymer, colloidal solution, or the like. After the reaction between the liquid and the substrate is complete, the template is removed to reveal patterns formed upon the substrate.
In the abovementioned MIMIC method, however, the distance to which the liquid can be supplied from the sides of the template is limited because the liquid is spread by capillarity. A consequent problem is that large patterns cannot be formed using wide templates.